2015 Image of the Year

Congratulations to Stephane Paziente, whose photo was chosen for the 2015 GUE Image of the Year!

About the site:

The picture was taken the 2nd of August, 2014, just in front of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. The museum was built in 1899 on the Rock of Monaco, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Jacques Cousteau was its director for 30 years, and in 1957 his ship, the Calypso, was photographed just outside the museum (see below). That photograph became very famous, as it represented Cousteau’s life’s purpose: to explore and protect the sea.

About the photo:

The day before I took the picture, I travelled to Monaco by helicopter (the typical way to get there from the airport in Nice) and from my window I saw this image: the Pacific Provider in front of the museum, just where the Calypso was 57 years before! I thought, “Actually, GUE divers are the new Cousteaus… Wow!” When I arrived onboard the Pac Pro, I found the old picture using my phone and showed it to the crew. Robert Carmichael decided immediately that we had to reproduce this picture. The Pac Pro was the Project Baseline dedicated ship during its expedition last summer, and this picture is the perfect Project Baseline picture since we can see the difference between 1957 and 2014 so clearly. Of course, the Pac Pro is much bigger than the Calypso, but the sea level looks higher, there are more buildings on the sides, and the foliage has changed as well. It’s a fascinating point of view for tracking environmental changes over time.

About the photographer:

Stephane has been diving since 1996 and discovered GUE in 2009. It changed both his way of diving and his way of life. Previously, Stephane worked in media, radio, and television, but now he is involved in the diving industry full time. His main goal is to introduce GUE and its system of diving to France. Stephane is a GUE Fundamentals Instructor, teaching in French in different countries like Belgium, Switzerland, France, and Monaco. He also works as a representative for BtS, Halcyon, and DUI for the French market. He plans to create a new Project Baseline site in Monaco at the exact place where the picture was taken… to be continued!